Legends of Luthoria
by UltimateRadiance
Summary: The world of Luthoria is at the brink of consumption. The dark forces of the Mire have defeated their heroes and threaten to destroy the light. As a last resort, Team RWBY is called from beyond the dimensional void. They're tasked with taking the stead of their fallen warriors and sealing the dark once and for all. Mainly White Rose, featuring Bumblebee.
1. Chapter 1

The wind carried with it an unrelenting chill, washing over the shadowy forest beneath the cliff. The trees swayed in tune with the rhythm of the air, leaves brushing against each other to create an orchestra of natural ambiance.

A huntress clad in a red cloak stood atop the high cliff. She looked off into the distance, eyeing the city beyond the treeline. Tasked with protecting its denizens, she watched over in silence.

The tranquility of the night was peaceful. Too peaceful.

The first howls of the creatures of Grimm broke through the air. Beowolves, far below. A chorus of screeches above, Nevermores.

The red-clothed huntress reached beneath her cloak. She grabbed onto her weapon and held it parallel to the ground. Gears turned, and the mechanisms worked together to unfold it into a giant scythe.

The huntress looked into the sky, noting the smaller Nevermores circling her above. She did not spot their leader, but suspected that it lie in wait below the cliff side, waiting for its time to strike.

One of the Grimm dove to strike the reaper. She stood still until it came near. Where the huntress once was, a flurry of rose petals remained. Before the Nevermore could comprehend it's mistake, a large silver blade crashed into its neck. Its head fell to the ground, and its body dissipated into a cloud of black smoke.

The rest of the Nevermores rushed to attack the scythe-wielder, but none struck true. The flock of the dark creatures became shrouded in rose petals as the huntress spun and slashed her way through the assault. She became a whirlwind with her blade, cutting through the Grimm with ease.

The huntress stopped, bringing her scythe to rest. The Grimm fell to the ground and faded away, leaving behind not a trace of their foul essence.

Almost on cue, the ground started to rumble, and a strong updraft came from the cliff side. The powerful screech of a matured Nevermore echoed through the darkness, announcing its call to action.

It was almost as though the flow of time completely ceased all function. The giant Grimm came to view over the edge of the cliff, bringing its wings to their full span. The crimson orbs of pure hatred and pain shone into the night, piercing the soul of the red-caped warrior that stood before it. The outline of the black mass shone with a pure white, being cast from the shattered moon above. Feathers fell from its body like leaves in the fall as it rose higher into the air.

The creature headed straight for the red reaper. Its shadow looked as though it trailed off its wings as it dove through the air to meet its opponent.

The light of the moon glinted off the huntress' scythe as she shot through the air. While the Nevermore anticipated a direct attack from the front, the huntress was cunning. She activated her semblance, causing a flurry of roses to carry her around the Grimm, and onto the wing supporting its flight.

She dug her scythe deep into the Grimm's appendage, and recoiled as it shrieked in agony. It tried to retaliate, flapping its wing with a much faster tempo. Yet, this only caused the blade to burrow deeper into the creature. The huntress pulled her blade through the wing, and sliced it clean off.

The avian Grimm fell to the ground, flailing as though it could still achieve flight. The huntress jumped off the beast and followed it past the cliff edge. She brought her scythe to bear and decapitated the Nevermore as she fell, bracing her landing. She touched down unharmed, and the Nevermore crashed into the ground, fuming black smoke as it faded into nonexistence.

She landed in a small clearing, holding her scythe over her shoulder while kneeling on the ground. She glanced around the clearing, looking for more Grimm. As expected, it seemed as though the beasts of the dark were not finished with the huntress yet. Around the clearing, she could spot the same crimson eyes hanging in the darkness, almost as though to taunt her skill and aptitude.

The red reaper smiled. Almost out of arrogance, or a sense of pride for felling the largest of their pack with such ease. It mattered not to the beasts. They were only concerned with the death of their worst enemy. The creators, the warriors of light.

The huntress brought down her hood and stared into the eyes of an Alpha Beowolf across from her. The beast recoiled in an instinctive fear of the silver eyes. Windows to the purest souls, those that feared nothing... not even fear itself. Yet, the creature's apprehension was short lived.

They all charged forward, ready to disembowel the silver-eyed warrior before them.

The reaper readied her scythe...

* * *

"...and I sliced through all of 'em! There must've been like… sixty Beowolves!" As Ruby finished recounting the story, she threw her hands above her head. Ruby's enthusiasm was quite infectious, getting her partner Weiss to smile as she recounted her tale.

"So dramatic. Did you actually do the pose when you landed after killing the Nevermore?" Weiss asked, indulging Ruby's over-exaggerated version of her tale.

"Yeah! It was so cool, you should've been there!" Ruby exclaimed.

"You do have quite the flair for the dramatic," Weiss chuckled.

Ruby thought tonight was going pretty well, all things considered. She and Weiss had finished a rather strenuous test earlier that day. After studying the material non-stop for a week straight.

Their years at Beacon had become more and more stressful as time wore on. Tests were more demanding than ever, and they got sent on plenty of missions. Working and fighting non-stop took a major toll on Team RWBY. Because of this, they decided to make their best effort to invest time into rest and celebration. And so, partner nights were born.

RW and BY of RWBY would each go out to dinner after a stressful test, mission, or tournament match. This became a ritual that stuck with the team throughout their time at Beacon. It also proved to actually do wonders for the team academically.

Over the years, Team RWBY went from prodigies to legends among the combat schools.

They found themselves at the top of their sparring classes, beating out every other team by far. They won the last year's Vytal Festival tournament in Mistral. And to top it all off, they're receiving specific mission requests from a few high profile clients! Chief among these was when they were hired by Schnee Dust. Their hard work did not go unrewarded. Jacques Schnee himself congratulated the team and commended them for their effectiveness.

Team RWBY was set to graduate their final year and become fully-fledged huntresses. Although the more accurate term would be fully- _legal_ huntresses.

Ruby deflated at the thought. It was likely that Weiss wasn't going to walk the path of a true huntress much longer, being the heiress of Schnee Dust.

It's a future that Ruby would have to live with. But, is it wrong to hope that they'll stay friends?

Ruby brought herself back to the present when a red-haired waitress came to their table with a notepad in hand.

"Hello, and welcome to _The Maroon Cove!_ I'll be Sharla, your waitress for tonight. Can I take your order?" Sharla spoke in a soft but confident tone. She seemed friendly.

They placed their orders. Weiss chose one of the more expensive salads on the menu, Ruby opted for a strawberry pie with a glass of milk on the side.

After thanking the pair, Sharla bounded over to the kitchen to deliver their order.

The ambiance of the diner permeated the air. One could hear sounds of plates clattering, guests chatting away at each other. It was an atmosphere that felt comfortable and warm.

It took a while before Ruby and Weiss found an eatery that they could both feel comfortable with.

Ruby would tend towards smaller, family-run restaurants with loud patrons and a homely staff. Weiss, on the other hand, ate at much more high-end establishments, teeming with the Valesh elite.

Often, the pair would be quite uncomfortable in each other's setting. Ruby _hated_ the fancy restaurants, feeling they lacked soul. Weiss often felt self-conscious at cheaper diners, no doubt because of her massive wealth. Well, that and she wasn't a huge fan of burger places.

After much debate, they settled on _The Maroon Cove_. It was a well kept, professional diner and bar. It had a rustic element to it, being built like a Mistralian bar with some Valesh aesthetic sprinkled in.

"So, have you heard about what happened to Jaune yesterday?" Ruby started.

"Not anything in particular. Aside from... him being Jaune."

"Well, he got in trouble with Glynda because he reflected Pyrrha's shield into Ozpin's office," Ruby said.

Weiss snorted loudly. "What!?"

"Yeah, it was pretty hilarious. I was up there because he was talking to me about that solo assignment I was telling you about. And he was _just_ finishing up when Pyrrha's shield crashed into his head!" As Ruby spoke, she watched Weiss' expression subtly change from one of curiosity to amusement. How her lips curled up and the slight widening of her eyes as she began to laugh.

"I don't know whether to be impressed about his strength to do that, or his sheer luck of landing it on Ozpin's head," Weiss remarked as she covered her mouth with her hand while she giggled. Ruby had to stop herself from squealing at this small gesture.

For the better half of last year, Ruby didn't know why she'd been paying a _lot_ more attention to her partner than normal. Sure, it's natural that they would become closer as time wore on. Yet, there was something there that she just couldn't place at the time.

Something about her smile, about her seemingly natural elegance. Her determined, sometimes stubborn, attitude. Hell, her fighting style! They had almost seemed to light up the room around her. Colors felt more vibrant, sounds felt richer.

Ruby found that she began to enjoy every second with her snow-white partner.

It all came to a head when she looked at Weiss after defeating a Wyvern Grimm. Their clothes were tattered and their Aura was all but gone. They'd just defeated a large beast that nearly took both their lives. It was only because of Weiss' cunning and cool head that they bested the ancient Grimm.

 _I could seriously kiss you right now,_ she thought as she stared into the Schnee's eyes. She remembered the icy-blue orbs still looking pristine and clear, despite the mud covering her partner's face.

In that moment, Ruby Rose, the nobody from Patch, realized that she was in love with Weiss Schnee.

Since her personal revelation, Ruby never quite looked at her partner the same. She tried to distance herself just the slightest bit, not to get too attached. She had to keep her crush a secret, there was no way they could continue to be friends after… _if_ she found out.

It's not like she even had a chance at a relationship, anyway. Everyone knew Weiss was straight. Even though they'd since broken up, she once had feelings for Neptune. And much to Ruby's chagrin, Neptune was _definitely_ male.

But she was the team leader and had to put her feelings aside. Anyways, Weiss is a great friend! She may not be completely satisfied with the result, but... it's better than nothing.

"How much longer do you think Blake and Yang are going to be out?" Weiss asked, pulling Ruby back out of her thoughts.

"Knowing them? Imma guess about… three days? They're out hunting Geists, right?"

"Yes," Weiss scowled as she answered. She had a run in with a Geist while camping out on a reconnaissance mission. She went out to take a leak and ended up coming back with her clothes half torn off, fencing a possessed bush with a stick. It was an interesting day, to say the least.

"Well, what do you wanna do in the meantime? We've got half a week with no missions to go on, so it'll just be you and I."

"That's you and _me,_ Ruby," Weiss corrected.

"You know what I mean," Ruby said as she rolled her eyes.

"Honestly? I think I might take a page out of Blake's book and do some reading. She did say I could borrow her collection while she was out on missions."

"Reading, huh? I have an idea!" Ruby widened her eyes, brimming with excitement.

"Oh? You have a recommendation?"

"Sort of. There's this one book that Yang used to read to me when I was young. It's called _Legends of Luthoria_. It's like a collection of fairy tales from this super awesome fantasy world!"

"I don't really have much interest in reading children's books." Weiss crossed her arms with a slightly disappointed expression.

"No, no, it's actually really good! Even Blake has it in her collection!" Ruby waved her hands in front of her, using her semblance for extra speed. This caused small rose petals to fall from the blurs that were her fingers.

Weiss rolled her eyes and brushed away the petals.

"I never took Blake to be the fantasy type." Weiss' expression softened and she chuckled slightly.

"Hey, they're some pretty good stories! Seriously, you've got to read it."

"Well, I suppose it's better than doing nothing. How about we start on that tomorrow?" Weiss smiled at the brunette huntress.

"Consider it done!" Ruby closed her eyes and shot a thumbs-up at Weiss with a wide smile.

Weiss, still smiling, shook her head at the enthusiasm of her partner. Seems that even after so many years, some things never change.

* * *

Ruby had gone back up to the dorms while Weiss decided to go for a walk around Vale.

Weiss loved the aesthetic of Vale at night. Vale was home to many natural parks that were lit by candle during late hours. The heiress often found herself on walks through said parks. She admired the tranquil nature of Vale's less urban spaces, drinking in the environment.

After leaving the diner during her dinner with Ruby, this night was much the same. She walked to Ardent Lake Park, an out of the way upper town natural reserve. The name of the area refers to how the moonlight reflects off of the water, giving it an eerie silver color.

She aimlessly wandered through the park, following the trail. Large trees surrounded the heiress, softly swaying in the wind. The breeze permeated the outdoors, whistling quietly as the air rushed past.

She took a turn on the trail, leading her to Ardent Lake, the namesake of the reserve.

The lake shone with the silver light of the shattered moon looming above. The water rippled as ducks swam past, causing the light to shine brighter through the pulses of water.

Weiss marveled at the sight before her. The beauty of Vale never ceased to amaze the white-haired girl. Weiss never saw anything like Vale before Beacon. Her homeland, Atlas, was a frozen tundra. But, that isn't to say that it didn't have its own wonderful aesthetic. Its beauty came in the form of serenity and stillness, a quiet and reserved landscape.

Yet, Vale's appearance was so much more pleasing to the heiress. She deeply appreciated the feeling of life and sound that wove itself into the environment.

Weiss walked over and sat on a bench next to the lake shore. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and capturing the serene feel of the air around her. She listened as the waves of the shore crept onto the sand, and the rippling water splashing onto itself.

The heiress opened her eyes and looked up to the stars. She felt herself awe at their vibrancy, their ability to shine so bright from so far away.

She found herself in envy of the celestial giants. She learned from her Astronomy studies that the light of the stars will far exceed their lifetimes. They will continue to remain in Remnant's sky long after they will fade. Weiss thought that to be the most interesting fact about a star. Humanity may never truly see the star as it is right now, it may be long gone then. Yet, humanity saw the star's legacy. The light it left behind.

Weiss looked back to the silvery lake.

 _Legacy…_

What does that word mean to the heiress?

All her life, she has lived according to the Schnee legacy. The traditions of the Schnee family were woven deeply into her psyche. The very reason she came to Beacon was that she thought she could redeem the family name.

Her motivation, determination to uphold her family's legacy was always her driving force. It fueled every decision she made, every step she took. There was nothing so very ingrained in her mind to compete with it.

 _And yet…_

She began to doubt.

Love has never been a very complicated subject for Weiss. She was always rather indifferent to the various suitors her father attempted to set her up with. Her personal interests in the past have been lustful pursuits, spurred on by her hormonal tendencies.

Sure, Neptune was a good partner, but she didn't feel for him the way he felt for her. It was a failed experiment at best.

This began to change during her previous year of attending Beacon. And in the most sobering way possible.

Weiss always cared deeply for her partner, Ruby. Although she would berate her constantly, she always did it out of a sense of trying to be the best partner she could.

But since last year, she began to notice certain… _things_ about the redheaded huntress. She felt herself at ease in the presence of the brunette in a strange way. One that simultaneously felt charged and calming at the same time.

She appreciated her features more. The silvery orbs that were unique to her seemed to almost shine more. Her smile looked warmer and more inviting than it ever had. Her red seemed so much more vibrant, more passionate.

Her voice became not one of annoyance, but of endearment. She felt as though she could listen for hours and hours about anything Ruby had to say.

Weiss had her suspicions but never gave them any voice. Until one night.

She had been battling a Wyvern Grimm with her partner in a final stand. They both had every single lucky break they could have received. But in the end, it was Ruby's speed and instinct that pulled them through. They killed the ancient Grimm, against all odds, and lived to tell the tale.

She remembered looking into Ruby's eyes and coming to a resolute and astonishing conclusion.

She was in love with Ruby Rose.

For a fleeting moment, that was all that she could understand, all that she could know.

And it was the most certain she had ever been.

What followed was compounding doubts and insecurities crashing on top of one another. If she truly was in love with Ruby, how could she reconcile her personal desires with her fate? With her destiny to uphold her legacy?

Ruby walked the path of a huntress. Weiss is destined to become what is essentially modern-day royalty. In an ideal world, they should be able to coexist in each other's lives, but society dictates that they do not.

If Weiss wanted to continue her path of redeeming the Schnee name, she would need to give up a future with Ruby. If she wanted to move forward with Ruby, any redemption of the Schnee name would be stolen from her.

Weiss shook her head in her indecision. Although she was sure of her ability, she felt so hopeless in the face of her future.

Weiss didn't know what she wanted. And it was tearing her apart.

The heiress looked down at the surface of the lake. The surface glinted with silvery light as the waves rippled across.

She walked to the edge of the shore and looked down into the water. She saw her blue eyes staring back at herself, almost to ask the question she desperately wanted an answer to…

 _What is it that you want, Weiss?_

* * *

 **A/N**

 **AAAAND WE'RE BACK, BABY!**

 **Hey all! UltimateRadiance here! And I'm back to deliver some sweet, sweet White Rose goods.**

 **Those of you who followed _Storybook,_ the short-lived previous budding version of this story, probably came from the update that I uploaded to the chapter. I intend to follow through with this one, as I'm in a much better spot in life right now.**

 **As for you newcomers...**

 **Welcome to _Luthoria_! A story about the fantasy worlds _of a fantasy world!_ Crazy, right?**

 **Team RWBY is called to an alternate world parallel to Remnant, by the name of Luthoria. Luthoria's heroes have failed to fight back the darkness which now threatens to overtake their world. Team RWBY is their last hope. They will go on an epic adventure, learning to harness the power of magic, battling the monsters of the Mire along the way. But world ending plots be damned, they're still young adults hopelessly in love.**

 **I hope you enjoy the ride!**

 **On a side note, a huge thanks to my editor, Useless Lesbian. It's a major help to have a second pair of eyes on this project.**

 **Criticism is always appreciated and welcomed. This is UltimateRadiance, signing off.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**

 **Sorry for the wait. Life really likes to mess with me.**

 **I HOPE YOU LIKE 7,500+ WORD CHAPTERS AS COMPENSATION :D**

* * *

Ruby always loved mornings.

They were an important part of the huntress' routine. She always tried to make her early hours a positive experience. After all, the rest of the day was soon to follow, so she better set a good example!

And today was no different. After she had practically dragged Weiss out of bed, they made for coffee and pancakes in the cafeteria.

Weiss fumbled out of the room after she threw her clothes on haphazardly—still miffed about being woken up so early. "I don't get it, Ruby. Why did you wake me up, on an off day no less, at six in the morning?" Weiss tried to sound dignified, but instead came off as more of a whining child.

"Because we gotta make the mornings count, silly! More time to spend our break!" Ruby exclaimed, still in a joyous mood since waking up.

Weiss closed her eyes, rubbing her temple. "You will be the death of me, Rose..."

They walked to the cafeteria in silence. Not many were up this early in the morning and the heiress did not want to make any conversation.

Just as always in the mornings, the cafeteria was pretty quiet. There were very few students—the ones that were there seemed to be drinking copious amounts of coffee while pouring over their assignments due over the break. Ruby and Weiss had finished them in advance, not wanting to worry about school work on their days off.

The two headed to the serving area to grab their breakfast. Ruby grabbed an unhealthy amount of pancakes and the syrup to match. Weiss wasn't a heavy eater in the morning—or at all, really—and so she settled for coffee and a biscuit.

After sitting at their table, they ate in relative peace. What was odd though, was that Nora seemed to be absent. You'd think that she'd have already been down here stuffing her face.

 _Ren's probably keeping her in the dorm to keep all of the pancakes safe,_ Ruby thought jokingly.

She got a chuckle out of the idea. It wasn't new—Nora has indeed completely exhausted both Beacon's waffle _and_ pancake supply by herself before. On the same day.

Seriously, what is that woman's stomach made out of?

Ruby began to dig into her pancakes. She wasn't too huge a fan of the bland batter they'd used, but it hardly mattered. The syrup provided _plenty_ of sugar for her tastebuds.

Weiss took a sip of her coffee, waking more by the minute. She was still a little peeved by Ruby's insistence that they wake up so early. "I've known you for three years now and I still cannot understand how you're so chipper waking up."

"Well… Yang used to make a huge deal out of me waking up early. And I mean, it _is_ an important part of the day," Ruby explained.

The huntress understood that Weiss was no morning person—she was often grouchy and irritated at best after waking up. At worst… Ruby internally shuddered. No one likes an angry morning Weiss. Especially when presented with metal cutlery.

Weiss took another sip of coffee, bringing a hand to her forehead. "Ugh. This is what I get for staying up so late," the heiress said, her head throbbing with pain.

"What were you doing out so late, anyway? I fell asleep pretty quick so I didn't see you come back," Ruby asked.

"Just a walk by Ardent Lake, nothing… too special," Weiss answered.

Ruby was about to say something else, but stopped when she felt her scroll buzz in her pocket. She pulled it out and was greeted with Yang's call ID on her screen. Her face lit up with a smile and she pressed the [ACCEPT] button.

"Heya sis!" Ruby's voice must've gone up an octave, as Weiss flinched on the other side of the table. She mouthed 'sorry' to the heiress, receiving an unpleased glare from the other side.

" _Hey Rubes. I was just gonna tell ya that me and Blake are pretty much done here. We're getting back in a few days."_

"Awesome! Whatcha doin' right now?" Ruby asked, hearing metallic sounds on the other side of the line.

" _Just doin' some work on Ember. Did I show you the new upgrade I got for it?_ "

"Oh! Was it the spread-fire mode you installed earlier?"

" _Nah, this one's more recent. I'll show ya when I get back~"_

"I can't wait to see it~!"

" _So what have you and Weiss been up to?_ "

"Oh! We went out to dinner yesterday. We both got a perfect score on the Grimm Studies test!" Ruby exclaimed. She was rather proud of her scores—she and Weiss studied tirelessly for the test. Plenty of coffee and sleepless nights ended up paying off in the long run.

" _I'm not surprised. Sure, Weiss is good with her studies, but don't sell yourself short Ruby. You're like a walking dictionary for huntresses._ "

Ruby rubbed the back of her head, feeling awfully embarrassed by the high praise. "Aw, come onnn. I'm not _that_ good."

" _I mean it!"_ Yang paused. _"Soooo~, when you gonna tell her?_ "

Ruby's eyes widened and she went beet red. She looked over to Weiss to see if she heard. Luckily, she was still messaging her temples and drinking her coffee. Whew, bullet dodged.

Yang had known about Ruby's crush on the heiress ever since the beginning of their fourth year. She was kind enough to not mention it to Weiss... or Blake. She hoped.

But recently Yang has been teasing the brunette more and more about her crush. It was definitely starting to get on her nerves. She knew she couldn't tell Weiss. Yang seemed to not understand that in the slightest.

Ruby grunted indignantly at her sister for her tease. "Yang!"

" _Alright, alright. Sorry sis._ "

Yang seemed like she was about to say something else, but was interrupted by what sounded like Blake. Yang's voice came through the speaker softly as she spoke to her partner. " _What, you mean… ? Ah! Gotcha."_ After a small pause, she picked her scroll back up. _"So, the Bullhead is gonna be here pretty soon. I gotta finish packing up. Have a good day Rubes. Love you._ "

"Love you too, Yang!" The line clicked as the call cut out.

Ruby looked to Weiss, who was staring at the table with a focused expression. "Uh… you okay?" she asked.

"Just… minor headache. It'll fizzle out soon," Weiss said.

The two sat in silence while finishing their breakfast.

"Weren't we going to start on that book today?" Weiss asked.

Ruby's face lit up. "Right!"

"Well, I'm just about finished. You want to head back now?"

Ruby nodded with more vigor than she thought was necessary. What? She couldn't help it. The huntress was ecstatic to show her partner a really important part of her childhood.

They finished up their breakfast, and began their walk back to the dorm room. Since there weren't any classes today, few students passed by. There was the occasional loud group or team, but the girls walked mostly in comfortable silence.

As they began approaching closer to the dorm room, they heard a lot of noise coming from their neighboring team's dorm. The pair listened in as they heard what sounded like the team participating in Nora's ridiculous workout routine. Weiss pounded on the door and yelled at them to keep quiet. Pyrrha shouted an apology and Nora yelled at everyone else to stay quiet—entirely unaware that she was the one making the most noise.

Weiss looked over at Ruby. They shared a look of shared exasperation over Nora's antics, then walked into their dorm.

Ruby walked over to the shelf that was installed near Yang and Blake's bunk. After dancing her fingers excitedly through Blake's collection, she came across finally found the book she was looking for.

"Oh man, this brings back memories," Ruby spoke softly as she looked at the cover of the book.

 _Legends of Luthoria  
Definitive Edition_

Ruby brought the book to the table Weiss and her shared for their studies. They cleared the surface of all of the papers and textbooks and sat the large tome on the table.

"Bigger than I expected," Weiss remarked upon seeing the massive text.

"Like I said, this isn't just a children's book," Ruby chuckled.

Ruby turned to the first page and began reading.

* * *

 _ **Legends. Stories, scattered through time. Remnant is no stranger to the exploits of heroes and villains, passing them down through the ages.**_

 _ **However… long before Remnant was even a thought, there existed another world.**_

 _ **A world much like ours, where mankind also resided.**_

 _ **This world would come to be known as Luthoria.**_

 _ **What made Luthoria special, however, was that the air itself was enriched with the essence of magic.**_

 _ **Mankind was able to harness this power. They built long lasting empires, cities that would stand for thousands of years, and legends to last longer.**_

 _ **However… mankind was not alone.**_

 _ **Luthoria was home to monsters much like the Grimm of Remnant. They were known as the Mire. Beings made of pure malice and hatred, they only knew destruction and death.**_

 _ **The Mire was brought into this world with the sole intention to destroy mankind and everything it held dear.**_

 _ **They were led by the King of Mire, Tartaros.**_

 _ **Tartaros was born of the darkness. His power was unmatched by all who stood before him and his endless army of the Mire.**_

 _ **Tartaros and his monsters were ceaseless in their conquest. They ravaged the land, destroying homes and countries in their relentless campaign against mankind.**_

 _ **Luthoria was at the brink of consumption. All seemed lost…**_

 _ **However, there was a spark of hope.**_

She stood at the foot of a massive black stone hill. Her gaze led her to the towering structure at the edge of the cliff, framed by the endless expanse of the red sky.

Castle Mire. Its exterior was riddled with spikes and crystals that pulsated with a black energy. The main tower extended far past the clouds, touching the heavens themselves.

The castle was home to the King of the Darkness, Tartaros.

For centuries, mankind had found themselves at the brink of collapse facing the ancient evil. It was only the diligence of the Light that allowed them to push back the eternal horde of the creatures of Mire. It was only through the Light that they were allowed to fight another day.

 _ **As Tartaros was born from darkness, so too was one of mankind born from light.**_

On another day, she may have modestly rejected her importance to the cause. She may have told others that she was simply a brave soul doing her part in the war against the Mire.

 _ **Born of light, there would be one equal to Tartaros.**_

But it was now, faced down with the castle, that she accepted her role in her destiny. She was a child of the Light—their final hope of winning the war.

 _ **Her name was Lumine.**_

She recollected the journey that brought her to source of mankind's pain and suffering of the last century.

 _ **A prodigy from the very beginning, she mastered the art of magic long before she came of age.**_

She remembered her grandfather's kind amber eyes and voice as he guided her through the process of mastering her magic powers. She remembered her glee as she performed even the most basic tasks with her abilities. She smiled fondly. She treasured those moments.

 _ **When Tartaros learned of her power, he sent his monsters to attack her village. As a result, she lost her parents as she came of age.**_

She remembered the flames that engulfed her home as the creatures of Mire burned her town to the ground. Remembered her mother as was torn apart in front of her. Remembered her father being lost in the sea of the town militia as they were devoured by one of the larger beasts.

She closed her eyes in reserved agony. Her family had been taken from her too soon… all that remained was her sister and grandfather.

When she opened her eyes, they held not an intense pain, but a steel determination. She would never allow the Mire to take another family while she drew breath.

 _ **However, this only motivated her to rise to the challenge.**_

 _ **She traveled across Luthoria, searching for warriors that would join her cause in sealing away the darkness once and for all.**_

She recalled her campaign across the land, searching for warriors brave enough to answer the call of the Light. At first, it was difficult. She still had much to learn—she still had yet to prove herself.

She struggled. Day and night, she battled against the creatures of the Mire as they pursued her relentlessly. Were it not for her powers, she would have been killed long ago.

Her first destination was the Kingdom of Athessa, a country of ice and snow far to the north.

 _ **Her first companion was Cyia. A warrior princess with a heart of ice and a will of stone.**_

The royalty didn't take too kindly to her presence initially, but would eventually be swayed once they bore witness to her combat prowess.

What surprised Lumine the most was the crown princess, who had personally volunteered to accompany her and fight directly for the cause. Quite the fighter she was, too. Stubborn and determined to her core, she resolved that she would bring honor to her kingdom and herself by defeating Tartaros.

Ever since, Cyia stood by her side. She was not only a faithful companion, but a wonderful friend, as well. Lumine admired that about her.

 _ **Her next was a rogue named Umbra. An illusionist of the divine, and a protector of his family legacy.**_

Her travels took her to the deserts of Avaris, to the west.

While traveling through the desert, she and Cyia were cornered by Mire taking the image of twin snakes, Lumine prepared to accept her fate. Yet, in the nick of time they were saved by a mysterious group of shadowy fighters.

They'd taken her to their leader, a lithe and cunning illusionist named Umbra. He was the leader of the Helios Clan, a secret organization that protected the sands of the desert from the monsters of the Mire.

When told of Lumine's goal, he was initially hesitant. It was believed that the Darkness could never be destroyed, only repelled. However, it was then where Cyia was able to convince him to join. Her assertiveness, strong determination, and wit were essential for convincing the Helios Clan to help.

 _ **Her final companion was Solaria. A strong and hot-blooded fighter, a guardian to an ancient temple.**_

Although she had the support of Cyia's army and Umbra's clan, she still had yet to investigate Temple Lumos, an ancient monument to the children of Light. She was told by her grandfather to find this sacred place, so she could understand the full might of the power she possessed.

A long and arduous march to the south, to the ruins of the lost paradise of Kunluina. It was believed to be long since abandoned, crawling with Mire and infested with the Darkness, just as the blightlands that housed Castle Mire.

However, deep within the lost kingdom, there lay a pristine temple—untouched by the corruption. At the entrance, there stood a woman with stunning golden hair and deep crimson eyes.

Her name was Solaria. She was the guardian of Temple Lumos. Lumine remembered her surprise when the guardian bowed to her. Solaria said that she was honored to be in the presence of a child of Light, as well as being in the position to teach her of her heritage.

Temple Lumos taught her of the potential her abilities carried. She stayed for nearly a month as she trained with the new knowledge at her disposal.

Lumine asked the guardian of her service as a warrior in the battle. She graciously accepted, passing her role as guardian down to a girl with golden eyes.

 _ **These warriors were the strongest heroes from Luthoria. Unlike those that came before, they had a resolve that could never be broken.**_

All of her trials, all of her life, led to this moment.

It was now that she stood alongside her companions—no, _friends_ —and stood in front of the castle.

 _ **The heroes marched to Tartaros' domain, Castle Mire.**_

Lumine's comrades stood beside her. Cyia to her left, Umbra and Solaria to her right.

They were silent. There were no words to be had, they all knew what would be in store for them inside the castle.

Lumine looked to her right. Umbra's fist was clenched around his katana on his back. While normally the stoic of the group, his eyes swam with apprehension and anticipation.

"Are you okay?" Lumine asked.

He closed his eyes. "I have long since come to terms with our fate. All that remains is whether we will prevail or not."

Solaria spoke with a soft tone that was all to unfamiliar to each of them, "I've trained my whole life for this moment… and even now, I know in my heart we will win."

Lumine looked ahead.

"We will. We must." Her voice was resolute and powerful.

Cyia grabbed Lumine's shoulder. "Promise me this. Before any of us… you focus on winning the battle. Nothing is worth losing you."

Lumine grabbed the hand currently gripping her shoulder with a vice. "If all goes well… we will all make it out. That, I promise you."

Lumine brushed off Cyia's hand and turned to face the army behind the four. In front of her were soldiers from all over Luthoria, warriors who would lend their might to the final battle against Tartaros. She saw the vanguard of Athessa's elite military, the Helios Clan's skilled warriors, and many other groups of mercenaries and militias among their ranks.

She unsheathed her sword, Altiĝis, and thrust it into the ground. The clang of the metal was loud enough to silence the loud chatter of the troops. Their conversations all died down and their attention was turned to their leader as she stood before them.

Lumine's eyes shone a brilliant silver as she looked over her army. Her sword lay firmly in the ground, it's metal glinting from the light of the moon in the sky.

"Warriors!" she exclaimed, her voice carrying across the landscape, almost to silence the environment himself.

"Today we stand at the door of Tartaros, the King of the Mire!" She addressed the soldiers with a confidence that she never had experienced before. With every word, she felt more empowered.

"Long since the dawn of mankind has he inflicted pain and suffering on us all! He has taken our loved ones, our homes, our dignity!" The silence of the crowd would have been discouraging before, but she understood the weight of the agony they've suffered through at the hands of the Mire.

"But we will not stand for it any longer! Our efforts today will end his reign of terror and destruction! Today, we will defeat the Mire, once..." she raised her fist into the air, "...and for all!" Using magic, she caused her hand to shine an incredibly bright light into the air. The army before her let out a deafening war cry, raising their weapons into the air.

The creatures around the castle began to move towards the army, hundreds alone were charging down the hill towards them.

The light in her hand burst into a small star, flying into the sky.

Lumine raised her blade from the ground, and pointed it skyward towards the castle.

"CHARGE!"

The star bolt Lumine shot exploded into a meteor shower of pure light. It rained down on the monsters surrounding the castle, disintegrating them with pure light.

The warriors charged forward. Lumine and her companions led them into battle, their weapons drawn and pulsating with magical power.

More Mire began to emerge from the castle. They came out in droves, a black mass dispersing into creatures of various shapes and sizes.

The Mire's forces met with the warriors of Light. Claw and tooth clashed against sword and shield as the armies pushed against each other.

Lumine began to slash away at the creatures as they approached her. She imbued her light magic into Altiĝis, causing the blade to glow an otherworldly white. When she slashed at a monster, its very essence would melt into oblivion as it came into contact with her sword. She seemed to dance across the battlefield, weaving through the horde of monsters.

Cyia skated across the battlefield, creating a path of ice she glided over as she sunk her rapier into monsters around her. Her precision was absolutely unmatched, being able to find weak spots in the black masses, and puncture them with atomic accuracy. She battled with an elegance akin to a dance, but with a cold determination to fell her opponent.

Umbra seemed to be a blur as his raw speed carried him through the hordes of Mire. His katana was barely ever seen, only showing silver glints as the metal blade found its way through the stream of monsters. Even when a monster would seemingly land a lucky blow on him, it turned out to be an illusion that left them wide open for a counter strike.

While the others struck down foe after foe consecutively, Solaria used a massive blade nearly twice her size to cut down her opponents en masse. Her natural strength allowed her to wield it as though it were made of thin air. Flames trailed across her body and blade, scorching monsters even before they could ever land a hit on the woman.

 _ **The heroes pushed their way through the horde as they led their army to Castle Mire.**_

Their combined might and skill allowed them to punch a path directly to the castle. The heroes spearheaded the assault, with the army following directly behind them.

The castle gate began to close and the monsters tore away at the bridge suspended over the moat, trying to cut off the heroes' entrance to the castle.

Lumine yelled, "Solaria! Break down the gate!"

All the response that Lumine received was Solaria turning her blade skyward and imbuing it with what looked to be a massive inferno. Flames licked and twisted off the blade, burning the air around it. Once it hit a critical point, she brought it down and unleashed a gigantic wave of fire onto the gate.

The wave flew through the air towards the gate, incinerating absolutely everything in its path. Once it collided with the massive door, it seemed to melt into the metal for a short while, before exploding in a brilliant flash and completely destroying the gate.

The heroes approached the moat of black water. Cyia used her magic to create a thick bridge of ice for the soldiers to charge across. Blue tendrils of energy snaked their way through the air from Cyia's fingers, shining and expanding into a large bridge of ice.

Once Cyia's bridge was complete, they pushed their way into the castle halls.

"Begin phase 2!" Lumine bellowed to the commanders as they entered the castle.

The commanders of the army behind them yelled, "Aye!"

The commanders were to hold a position at the entrance to the castle so that Mire reinforcements would not interfere with the battle against Tartaros.

Lumine motioned to the other heroes. "Come on!"

Lumine begun to lead the others through the castle. They came upon the interior of the main tower; a large, twisting and broken staircase was all that would lead them to the top.

During their climb, Mire would leak from the top to intercept them. Unfortunately for the beasts, the heroes together were more than a match for all of the monsters that came to attack them.

Once they reached the top of the tower, they came upon a grandiose black obsidian door, leading to the throne room of Tartaros.

Lumine looked to her companions. "Are you all ready?"

"Yes," they spoke all at once.

Lumine thrust her hand outward, using her light magic to burst the door open.

 _ **They fought their way into the throne room, where they found Tartaros himself.**_

A man, drenched in shadow, sat on a throne of skull and bone. Space around him seemed to be engulfed in darkness as it warped around the creature.

" _So you have come._ " His voice reverberated through the chamber.

They filed into the room, their weapons drawn and spells primed.

"We are the warriors of Light. We've come to seal you away, once and for all," Lumine declared, in a steady and powerful voice. Now that she was face to face with Tartaros himself, she felt an even stronger resolve to push forward and end this war.

The man seemed to look up at the heroes. The only indication that it was staring them down was the crimson red orbs that pierced into their souls. His shadows seemed to dance across his body, leaking and twisting through the air.

 _ **Tartaros looked at his foes before him, declaring he was unbeatable and that he would fulfill his purpose once more.**_

" _Your conviction is admirable. Yet, it will not save you."_ He stood up from his throne. _"It matters not what power you possess. You will succumb to me just as all those before you._ " His, no, _its_ voice seemed to echo everywhere in the heroes' minds.

"No!" Lumine's silver eyes began to glow. "In the name of the Light, I will stop you!"

" _I will snuff the Light out. And nothing will stop me._ " As if to punctuate his sentence, a black shockwave of energy burst through the air, knocking the heroes onto the ground.

Tartaros' true form began to take shape. His body steadily enlarged, his hands and feet grew large claws, and his back began to sprout wings. The heroes looked on in awe and horror as the transformation completed.

They were left speechless by the creature that stared them down.

It was a massive dragon, with scales of gray decayed bone, black flaming wings, and a bladed tail consisting of the same bone as its scales. Its breath was a putrid black air and seemed to melt away at anything it came into contact with.

However, what they feared the most, were its eyes.

To say that they were the very incarnation of fear was an understatement. When they looked Tartaros in the eyes, they saw not just their deepest fears, but everything those fears embodied. They saw true horror at its core.

 _ **The heroes sprung into action, beginning their battle against Tartaros.**_

Lumine was the first to recover. Tartaros lunged towards the heroes, but was immediately pushed back when Lumine blasted a brilliant white beam of light at the dragon. It recoiled in agony, the light burning away at the shadow dripping from its body.

Lumine jumped at Tartaros, imbuing her sword with pure light. She slashed at the dragon's body, cutting through his skin with ease, and slashing through the decayed bones.

Tartaros attempted to strike at Lumine, but failed, instead hitting only Cyia's magic ice.

 _ **Cyia's ice protected the heroes from Tartaros' fury.**_

On and on, he tried to counter Lumine's blows with his own. He only grew more angry as his attacks failed to connect. His fury empowered his being, becoming more powerful as the battle waged on.

Tartaros inhaled sharply, before releasing a torrent of black flame at the child of Light. Cyia's ice formed around Lumine, breaking when the attack was finished. Once the ice was broken, she jumped out of her cover to blast another beam of light at the dragon.

He swiped at the beam, muting its effectiveness, but recoiled as Lumine slashed through his claw, simply using the light beam as a distraction.

Attempting to counterattack, he attempted to bite at Lumine, before his decayed teeth struck only a block of ice. In his rage, he attempted to breathe a wave of dark flame at Cyia, only to completely miss, and hit only air.

 _ **Umbra's illusions fooled Tartaros, so his attacks never hit true.**_

In his rage, he wasn't able to see that the ice mage, in fact, was not melted to a dark puddle. He only realized his error when he was struck by a large ice spike imbued with Lumine's magic.

Tartaros looked around, attempting to understand that he had been deceived. He spotted a black blur moving about, bending the space around it. The dragon attempted to strike at it with his tail, but failed to strike directly at the blur.

Umbra danced around Tartaros, sinking his katana into the black mass on multiple spots. He successfully distracted him from his other opponents, but made a misstep as he attempted to strike near Tartaros' neck.

The dragon noticed him moving in and instinctively butted his head forward with incredible force. Umbra saw his mistake too late and paid the price.

"UMBRA!" Solaria cried out as she saw her companion fly into the wall. His body fell to the ground, limp. She was too far away to tell if the injury was fatal or not, but regardless, she was _furious_.

Solaria's hair seemed to erupt into pure flame. She blasted her way towards Tartaros, ramming her flaming greatsword into his head.

 _ **Solaria's flame provided a match for Tartaros' raw strength.**_

The dragon staggered back, caught off-guard by the pure fury of the warrior. Even after the incredible power Solaria outputted into that one strike, she kept slashing at Tartaros, faster and stronger. One after another, her strikes rammed into the body of the dragon, pushing him back further and further, and cutting into his body even more.

In the lull between one of her attacks, Tartaros swiped his claw at Solaria and she wasn't able to block successfully. At the last second, Lumine was able to intercept and parry the claw before it could come into contact with the flaming warrior.

"Solaria! Don't be so reckless!" The warrior said to her comrade, driving the creature back with another beam of light. Solaria nodded and ran over to go check on Umbra.

Tartaros was pushing back her beam with the black flame breath, not allowing it to sink in and deal enough damage to hurt the beast. Frustrated, she charged at the dragon. He tried to swipe at her with his tail, however she was quick enough to jump over and stab into his back.

His flesh seared and charred as the light from her blade tore at the shadow. Tartaros roared in pain, lashing out to throw Lumine off of himself. He shook back and forth, but only managed to agitate Lumine as she wasn't able to balance herself for more attacks.

Lumine jumped off of the dragon, firing more light to drive him back in his confusion.

Solaria's flames twisted around her as they poured into Umbra's body. When harnessed properly, they actually had amazing healing properties, especially in the heat of battle.

His eyes fluttered open and he sat straight up, rubbing his head. "Ugh… that was a stupid mistake," he said, frustrated.

"Then don't make it again, you hear?" she scolded.

He nodded, then took stock of the situation before them. Lumine was in direct combat with Tartaros, and Cyia was protecting her with ice barriers and distracting attacks. It seemed to have been going well…

 _Too well,_ Umbra thought.

Lumine saw Umbra had recovered and began to make her way closer to him and Solaria. Tartaros recognized this and attempted to intercept her with a claw swipe, to which she had no choice but to parry. Her position now locked in a struggle with the dragon, the others had to come to her.

Solaria broke through with an immediate charge on Tartaros, using the broad side of her blade to slam into the dragon, making it stagger back a few feet. Umbra forced an opening by making Tartaros see multiple clones of Solaria strike at him, making him attempt to swipe to defend himself. Instead, he only allowed Lumine to power up a large ice spike that Cyia rammed into him.

The heroes were reunited. Lumine pushed in front of them, while they formed up behind her.

 _ **Lumine was the vanguard, her light being the only true weapon against Tartaros' shadow.**_

Tartaros was absolutely furious. He seemed to have been making a fool of himself for not using his full power, despite whether or not he thought he may have needed it. He had to let his pride go, as his prize was right in front of him, and he would not let it get away.

Lumine began to charge up another light beam, this time to try and finish off Tartaros. Her hand was engulfed with a heavenly white that glowed brighter and brighter the longer she held it.

When it hit near blinding levels, she released it at Tartaros. He responded with a more intense fire breath than she'd seen the dragon use for the entire fight.

" _Your power is formidable! But it is no match… for MINE!_ " Tartaros' voice reverberated throughout the chamber and inside the minds of the heroes.

Tartaros roared into his breath attack, causing the flame to increase in intensity and power. It continued to grow until not even Lumine's powered up beam could overtake its oppressive power.

"W-What?!" Lumine was thrown back from the force of Tartaros' attack, unable to immediately recover from the shock. The others jumped back, escaping the attack.

" _It is as I have said! You will die, like all those before you!_ " Tartaros roared.

 _ **Even with the other warriors' strengths, without Lumine, they were no match for Tartaros.**_

Solaria was the first to jump back into the fray. "Like hell we will!" she cried as she brought her blade to bear. Tartaros seemed to move with impossible speed as he blocked all of the fiery warrior's strikes. She was knocked off balance with a tail swipe, throwing her greatsword out of her hand and into the ground.

Cyia came running to Solaria's aid, but was quickly pushed away by a tail swipe. She blocked it with her ice, but the impact was still enough to send her flying back.

Solaria tried to back off of Tartaros, but he advanced further and further until she had to retaliate. "EAT THIS!" she screamed as she fired a massive ball of flame at the dragon.

Tartaros leaned backwards to catch the fireball in his mouth, devouring the flame whole. He thrust forward, letting the excess heat power his breath and let out an inferno of blake flame.

Cyia screamed, "SOLARIA!" as she wasn't able to create a barrier in time. The lack of protection allowed the dragon's flame to completely disintigrate her body. She screamed in agony as the flame cooked her body in a heat she couldn't hope to ever have experienced.

All that was left was a plume of dust.

Lumine could only stare in disbelief and shock.

Apart from her, Solaria was the strongest of them. And even then, she was just completely done away with. Gone with the wind.

Umbra's scream was deafening, more so than anything Tartaros could have said or done. It was filled with such grief, such anger, and sorrow.

 _ **The heroes fought relentlessly, never giving up for a moment.**_

Umbra struck at the beast from the side, using his illusions to keep himself hidden. Tartaros expected this, swiping around with his tail to cover all angles of attack.

Cyia attempted to keep him safe, but to no avail. Her ice barriers were not strong enough to hold against the dragon's entire body. As though he were nothing, the dragon swatted him away with his tail. The sick crunch of bone against the creature's large tail was the loudest sound that hit Lumine's ears.

Lumine looked on, watching her friends—no, family—get slaughtered by Tartaros.

 _ **Lumine's light continued to drive back the monster, and the attacks of the other heroes subdued its power.**_

With a new rage, Lumine got up from the floor. She charged at the dragon, tears stinging at her eyes. She once again imbued her magic into her blade—this time with _much_ more—and slashed at Tartaros. He easily swerved out of the way and countered with a swipe of his tail. The force of the impact knocked the wind out of Lumine, throwing her across the room.

Cyia watched on in horror. Her barriers kept failing more and more, unable to withstand the might of Tartaros' attacks. She created an ice path and skated past the dragon, launching ice projectiles at him to nearly no effect.

She needed to cross the distance to Lumine. From there… she didn't know. But Lumine _needed_ to stay alive.

Lumine was sprawled on the floor, unable to move. Cyia was battling with Tartaros best she could, buying time for her to get up.

She had to get up. She had to finish this, no matter what. It was her duty, her destiny. She _had_ to get up. Why was she not able? Her body wouldn't obey her commands.

She closed her eyes, the pain overwhelming. When she opened them, she saw Tartaros looming over her, about to fire one last breath attack. She closed her eyes in anticipation.

And yet… the attack had not come. There was something blocking it? She looked up, expecting to see Tartaros, but instead found a large ice wall covering her and Cyia.

"You have to finish this." Cyia looked to Lumine with a smile, tears streamed down her eyes. "I believe in you. I love you."

Lumine attempted to answer, but was cut short when the barrier shattered. Cyia threw herself in front of Tartaros and became engulfed in black flame.

 _ **Tartaros was eventually weakened, unable to fight back.**_

Lumine lay on the floor, her heart and soul shattered.

Her team was dead.

 _ **Lumine looked to Tartaros as he lay in defeat.**_

She knew it was her duty to fight on, but even now, as she lay on the brink of defeat, she could not will her body to move. She could hardly will her _mind_ to move. It all went so wrong… so fast. One mistake. One mistake cost them all.

Tartaros towered over her. His voice still spoke in the same, powerful and reverberating tone.

" _ **There was only one way this was going to end," she said.**_

 _ **Tartaros struggled, continued to try and fight, but to no avail.**_

She lay defeated. Completely and utterly defeated.

" _Any last words, maggot?"_

" _ **It wasn't supposed to end this way!" Tartaros roared, unaccepting of his own defeat.**_

" _And what way was it supposed to end, hm?_ "

Lumine cried. She didn't want to die, not at the hands of this beast. She was supposed to fulfill her destiny, supposed to end the reign of Darkness. It wasn't supposed to be like this.

Not like this.

 _ **Lumine used her power to summon the essence of light.**_

The shadow of the beast began to coalesce into a deep, formless black. It concentrated itself into a single ball of pure black above Lumine.

 _ **She created a prison of light for Tartaros, encasing him in a cage he could never hope to escape.**_

The shadow seemed to engulf her being. It enclosed her all around, leaving her in a cold, empty void.

 _ **Tartaros had finally been sealed away, and the creatures of Mire begun to disappear.**_

King Mire roared in total and utter victory.

Finally, he has sealed away a child of the light. Finally, he will stand uncontested.

 _ **The heroes raised their weapons in victory. Finally...**_

...he had beaten back the light.

* * *

Weiss was rather surprised. For what she thought would amount to a children's tale, it had some substance, but nothing too deep. After all, it was just the classic tale of the chosen one defeating the big bad evil. What caught her off guard was the feeling that this seemed like it would be the final chapter of the story.

"Wait a second, wasn't that the climax of the story? Why was it the first tale?" Weiss questioned.

"It's because the rest are different, unconnected stories, but they link back to this one. It's like the _legend_ of their world. Kinda like the origin story!" Ruby attempted to explain.

"Oh. I guess that makes sense."

Ruby looked at the book with a wistful look in her eye. "It's been a long time since Yang read it to me, you know? This story always used to be my favorite."

Weiss tilted her head in curiosity.

"I think it was just how _huge_ it made everything seem. It was like this crazy new world that we could escape to whenever things weren't right here." Ruby said with a sad look in her eye.

"Yang told me that Mom read this to her when she was really young. She couldn't understand all of the words at the time," she chuckled. "But she thought it was so big and cool. When Mom died, Yang read this to me, kinda as a way of honoring her memory."

Weiss was taken aback. She knew that Yang had quite the motherly sensitive side, but she didn't take the blonde to be so considerate like that. Granted, it wasn't a grand gesture, or anything, but hearing it from Ruby especially, it just sounded so _genuine._

"Even when she read it to me, for a bit she _still_ didn't understand some of the stuff in the book. Looking back on it, she mispronounced Tartaros a lot," Ruby chuckled.

"Wow. I had no idea," Weiss said.

"I never really told you, so you shouldn't be too worried about it." Ruby smiled with a sad look at her partner.

Weiss thought to herself for a moment. While they were on the subject of childhoods…

"Well, tell me more," Weiss said.

"Huh?"

"Like, you were young. What did you and Yang do besides reading fairy tales?" Weiss asked.

Ruby's excitement came back in full force. "Oh! We used to play a game with dad where he'd be Tartaros, from the story! Yang and I would be the heroes and stuff. It was really fun."

"As weird as it might sound, I wish I could've done stuff like that as a kid. Winter is great and all, but we didn't really have a really playful childhood," Weiss said with a sombre tone.

"Hey, maybe sometime on vacation you can stay over and we can play around! Be kids, at least for a little bit."

Weiss internally laughed at the thought of Ruby and her pretending to save a world from certain doom by grabbing wooden swords and shields, and play fighting her father while doing so.

It wouldn't be that bad. But she wouldn't dare admit that to Ruby, fearing that she'd readily agree to it.

Weiss shook her head at her partner with a smile. "Sometimes, I don't know what to do with you."

"Wanna keep reading?"

"I'd love to."

You know, maybe just being with Ruby is making the experience of reading this just that much more intriguing. Just the thing with how she seems to light up the room, she supposes.

Especially objects around her. After all, she could have sworn that as Ruby was turning the page, the book was glowing.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **OH BOY. THAT WAS A DOOZY.**

 **Heya there! UltimateRadiance back once more with a Legends of Luthoria chapter!**

 **For the most part, things seem pretty okay with Team RWBY right now. Sure, some minor romantic tension between Ruby and Weiss, but nothing they can't move past or handle at the moment! Should be smoooooooth sailing.**

 **Well… if only we could say that about** _ **everyone.**_

 **Some** _ **shit went down**_ **on Luthoria.**

 **The heroes have failed. Tartaros is left to overtake the land. And they can't wait until another child of light is born, so for all intents and purposes, they're fucked!**

 **So from here, it's going to be leading into the big switch and how that ends up happening.**

 **Aside from that, light-hearted, nostalgic character interactions! Woo!**

 **While I was going to leave it at that, there was one thing I wanted to address.**

 **It's directed to the Guest reviewer that pointed out a lot of flaws in the original material and has subseqently reviewed this one.**

 **I want to say first and foremost,** _ **thank you so much for your honest criticism.**_ **I get the feeling people don't tell you that one too often.**

 **The second is addressing your concerns about Bumblebee's inclusion in this story.**

 **First off, you mention how the whole "Chosen One" thing for Ruby is getting stale, and that the "Chosen Two" was a neat refresher on that. And to that, I can totally understand where you are coming from.**

 **However, I want to point out that I'm not attempting to break any new ground with this fic in terms of overarching plots. Mainly, the setting and plot is to provide a vehicle to for the romance, as well as having an—at the very least, somewhat entertaining—story that the reader can use to contextualize the romance. It's not** _ **supposed**_ **to be groundbreaking in any sense, I don't think it has to be.**

 **The second thing I want to address is the whole "Chosen one plus three" point you have. The original story was already kind of a "Chosen One plus one" story that wasn't doing the "Chosen Two" concept justice. I think that's what I begun to realize after I had read your review, and one of the reasons as to why I'm deciding to reboot it.**

 **I think that I didn't really set out to tell a "Chosen Two" story when I initially started out the drafting of Storybook.**

 **The goal of the reboot is to retool the story to better fit the goals I wanted to achieve when writing it. I want to tell a story of young romance, set in an adventure through a crazy fantasy world that people saw in books. Like I said before, nothing necessarily groundbreaking or crazy, but that doesn't mean I can't write it with much better nuance thanks to the inclusion of the whole team coming along for the ride.**

 **Speaking of Blake and Yang's inclusion, I don't expect anyone who isn't a fan of Bumblebee to enjoy it, so please don't assume so. Frankly, I really enjoy the ship and I want to try my hand at writing it. I think that I can explore a few new ways that these two can interact, given the setting and expectations they're presented against in the story.**

 **Not to mention, it's impossible to deny that White Rose and Bumblebee have** _ **quite**_ **the cross-appeal. Of course not everyone is going to enjoy it, but not everyone is going to enjoy the story in the first place, regardless of who gets in who's pants. As a result, I'm totally okay with writing Bumblebee even if that turns some people off, because in the end, I want to tell a story to anyone that'll read. Simple as that.**

 **So in conclusion, thank you for your critique. I absolutely want to hear if any of my readers have something to say.**

 **Well… that's going to be it for this chapter. Sorry for the long wait, I had quiiiiiite the last two weeks. Hopefully the next one will be up sometime later this week! I'll try to maintain a somewhat regular schedule and not burn myself out like I did last time.**

 **That'll be all for tonight. Thanks for reading folks, see you next time.**

 **UltimateRadiance, signing off~**


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